Archives: Employee Spotlights

Troy Beaver was weighing three job offers when his dad’s hospice nurse told him what keeps her going every day.

“It’s knowing that this could be this person’s last day on earth, and maybe I do something that puts a smile on their face,” she told him. “I could be the last positive thing that happens to this person in their lifetime.”

At that moment, Beaver decided to reject those offers – all in corporations like the one he had just left – and heed the voice urging him to find work that made a tangible difference in people’s lives.

Today, Beaver is Homeland’s new director of development, filling the role held by beloved Betty Hungerford after she retired. He is responsible for supporting Homeland’s fiscal health and long-term viability through philanthropic and charitable giving.

When the opportunity came along, he wasn’t sure he was right for the role. He spent months talking to people at Homeland – including Hungerford – “and prayed long and hard about it.”

“Now, since I’ve been here, I’ve been asking myself why I didn’t do this 30 years ago,” he said.

Beaver was born and raised in Chambersburg, PA. At age 19, he entered the U.S. Air Force, utilizing his fluency in Spanish to serve in military intelligence during a time of political turmoil in Central America.

Even before separating from the military after four years, he started working at Citibank in Hagerstown, MD, filling a need for someone to work with Spanish-speaking customers.

That job blossomed into a director in Citibank operations, taking him all over the world including Europe, South America, Central America and India.

After about 30 years, he started wondering if he wanted to continue.

“I had a feeling that there was something different,” he said. “There’s got to be something more.”

Around that time Citibank downsized and eliminated his job, and after meeting with Barry Ramper II, Homeland President and CEO, it was suggested he could be right for Homeland’s development director.

Beaver’s wife reminded him that he had been praying for “something different,” and the answer was right in front of him.

At Homeland, Beaver has discovered people impassioned about their work in ways that are different than the corporate settings in which he previously worked.

“The staff here embraces the fact that this is a person’s home,” he said. “It’s not a care home. It is their home. That’s the big difference.”

Amid the financial pressures facing today’s nonprofits, Beaver is striving to build on Homeland’s base of donors for decades to come.

“Homeland is 158-years strong,” Beaver said. “But we recognize that we need to always be thinking about how we can ensure we are here to care for our community for generations to come.”

While Beaver brings experience using technology to streamline the search for potential donors, he knows that software isn’t what obtains grants and donations. His solemn task is to build relationships. Hungerford, who was Homeland’s development director for 20 years, reminded him that building relationships takes time.

“Building trust is the most important thing,” he said. “And that takes really getting to know people.”

Beaver and his wife, Lisa, have been married for 36 years and have two sons and a granddaughter. In his leisure time, he plays one of his 12 guitars, including a custom-made Jennings that “is the most incredible guitar, with incredible detail.”

With his former Christian rock band, Prodigal, he has recorded two CDs and jokes that he is an “international recording star” because three of those CDs sold outside the U.S.

Beaver looks forward to continuing to get to know Homeland residents and building relationships with donors.

“I’m getting a really big friend base here,” he said. “All I can hope for is that in the time I’ve gotten to know Homeland’s residents and its family of supporters, I’ve been a bright spot for them and made them happy.”

Kristine (Kris) Crockett, RN, CHPN, Director of Homeland Hospice and Homeland Palliative Care, approaches life with an open mind, always looking for opportunities to serve others. For more than 25 years, she has provided compassionate end-of-life care as a hospice nurse and administrator. The road to her current role with Homeland has been filled with gratifying experiences beginning with her service in the Army. As a proud veteran, Kris feels a special bond with the veterans served by Homeland Hospice.

Kris entered the Army when she was 17 years old, after achieving an impressive score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, which is administered in high school to identify candidates for military service. At the time, Kris was unsure what type of career she wanted to pursue and decided to serve our country while learning a vocation. As a minor, Kris needed the approval of her parents.

“My family was very supportive,” Kris says. “This was the start of a new chapter in my life.”

Kris intended to serve in the Army Reserves, but soon decided to enlist for active duty. Her original goal was to enter medic training, but there were no openings at the time. Instead, she entered military policing and eventually became a guard at a correctional facility in California. During more than nine years in the Army, Kris lived in Texas, Honduras, South Korea and California.

“My time in the service was so rewarding,” Kris adds. “I formed friendships that still exist.”

Often, it was the unsaid thank you or acknowledgement of a job well done between colleagues that spoke the loudest to Kris. Words of gratitude or praise were simply understood between her military brethren.

Following her time in the Army, Kris returned to central Pennsylvania and pursued a medical career. She became a licensed practical nurse and began working as she raised her children. Over the years, she earned her associates degree and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

In the early 1990s, Kris worked as a nurse at York House Hospice, which provided compassionate end-of-life support for people dying of AIDS. At the time, York had one of the highest populations of AIDS patients in the state. Far too many people had no place to die with dignity, medical care and unconditional support. York House Hospice was a beacon of hope for the people it served.

Kris joined Homeland Hospice in 2012 as a weekend on-call nurse. She quickly found the same connection she had with her colleagues in the Army with her patients and their families. She didn’t need to hear the words of gratitude spoken, for she could see it in the eyes of those she helped.

“I have always connected with my patients and their families,” Kris says. “It is a powerful bond.”

Since 2012, Kris has advanced in her career and also helped Homeland expand its comprehensive continuum of services to include palliative care.

Kris is particularly proud of Homeland’s We Honor Veterans program, created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The program works to improve the quality of health care for all who served. Whenever possible, Kris strives to connect with veterans receiving care to thank them for their service. This unique connection is one of the many reasons Kris feels a call to service at Homeland.

“This is the most rewarding job I have ever had,” Kris says. “I love this work.”

Homeland Hospice is a nonprofit hospice program that serves communities throughout Central Pennsylvania. For more information, contact Homeland Hospice at (717) 221-7890.

What do social workers do? At Homeland, they help families navigate the complexities that are often involved with caregiving.

“The hard work shouldn’t be on the family,” said Homeland social worker Amanda Williams. “They should just be coming to visit their loved ones. They shouldn’t have to worry about the other stuff. The hard work should be on us.”

March is Social Work Month, a time to recognize social workers and their dedication to serving as advocates to those in need. Homeland Center’s social work office is led by Director of Social Services Daniqwa Buckner and her assistant director Amanda. Together, they ensure residents and families feel at home.

Daniqwa joined Homeland in October 2020. She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work from Messiah University and her master’s from Temple University.

Amanda knew from childhood when her parents struggled to find care for her ailing grandmother that she wanted a career in social work. Originally from Souderton, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Elizabethtown College and her master’s from Marywood University.

Daniqwa and Amanda describe social workers as connectors. They meet with residents when they first come to Homeland, whether for a long-term or short-term rehab stay. Navigating the system means linking residents with people and resources inside Homeland — dietitians, therapists, unit managers, and activities. The introductions provide assurance that needs are taken care of and that there’s always someone to turn to.

Amanda is often the social worker helping residents who come to Homeland for short-term rehab stays. When they are discharged, she puts together the puzzle pieces of home health care, therapy and insurance, working longstanding connections with Homeland at Home and other providers in the community to ensure a safe and productive transition.

“Whatever comes next, we want them to have the best quality of life,” said Amanda.

Strong communication skills are essential in social work. Amanda makes it clear to families that she wants to know about a resident’s needs “in the moment” when they can be addressed quickly and efficiently.

Social workers are also detail-oriented multitaskers, attuned to subtle changes and differing needs. At Homeland, they are key team members, reviewing residents’ daily well-being. They work with assistant directors of nursing, admissions, quality assurance and activities, and therapy. Constant communication with unit managers creates a “buddy system” that keeps everything focused.

“There are multiple components to every resident,” said Daniqwa. “There’s no black and white. There are gray areas, so you have to think out of the box and be flexible to make it a full picture.”

Social Work Month, sponsored by the National Association of Social Work, is a time for recognizing the hard work of social workers and their role “beside the families, fighting the battle,” in Daniqwa’s words. They are highly educated professionals who must earn 30 credit hours of continuing education every two years to maintain licensure.

Those credits keep social workers updated on the latest research in elder care. Their knowledge of dementia and behaviors equips them to educate families about changes a loved one may experience.

In one recent case, the wife of a new resident was struggling to understand her husband’s dementia diagnosis. Daniqwa helped guide her through getting to know the new person he had become.

“We helped her understand that it’s not him, it’s the disease,” said Daniqwa. “She told us that the education we provided helped create some ease in her.”

The care social workers provide for the families of Homeland residents and patients brings comfort directly to the residents and patients.

“They’re more relaxed because their family members are relaxed,” said Amanda.